I Wanna Be The One
by Kristina Edwards
Summary: Bella's starting college with her best friends. Will her attractive Chemistry TA change her forever?
1. Chapter 1

I dragged myself up the never-ending steps, striving to reach the top. They probably created this staircase just to punish those with bad hangovers. While I wasn't hung over, I was just very unfortunately clumsy. Being clumsy usually doesn't mix with stairs. But fortunately for me, these were just short stairs that seemed to go on for about a mile towards the building where my first class was.

Who knew college would be such a workout.

At least my first class was "exciting". And by exciting, I mean probably taught by a professor with a heavy Russian accent who immersed themselves in some complicated form of math on Saturday nights.

I finally reached the top of the stairs. I took a moment to breathe, then continued into the building.

You know how most doors tell you to "push" in order to open the door? I must be dyslexic.

I pushed the door, only to be greeted by it being flung open and being hit right in the face by the door.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry." I looked around dizzily for the voice that had knocked me over.

As my vision came into focus, I felt two strong hands lifting my head up, like they were examining me. "Ow…" I groaned grabbing my head. "Take it easy." I heard someone breathe.

I looked up to that person holding me, and was met by…well, tell me what you imagine when you see a slice of heaven.

A strong, bright green stare bore into me. Oh I'm sorry, did my heart just stop beating?

"Isabella Swan!"

I tore away from the gorgeous pair of eyes to see a small pixie-like figure running at me. Leave it to Alice to choose the same exact college as me so we can be roomies. Gotta love her…

"Stop laying on the ground!_ I'm_ not going to be late to our first class because _you_ can't keep your freaking balance." Alice was standing over me.

"Are you alright?" The person with beautiful eyes asked.

"Yeah." I groaned, sitting up. "Whoa, take it easy. Listen, I'm really sorry about that. I'm just in a bit of a rush. You sure you're okay?"

I finally got a good look at my attacker. He had the prettiest face I'd ever seen.

I mean, you've seen Burberry models, but they looked like trash cans compared to him. I think my heart stopped again.

"Uh…um…yeah." I said, struggling to find words. "Thanks" I murmured, sitting up. Sure I felt like my body was made out of jello, but I managed to get myself on two feet again.

"Alright, again sorry about that." The bronze haired man said, letting go of my arm. He walked away, and I couldn't help but just stare after him; drool was probably forming at my feet.

"Come on Bella…" Alice whined, grabbing my arm in her sharp little hands and dragging me to some lecture hall. Alice and I took our seats, somewhere near the back. Alice shared my everlasting love for chemistry.

As I was taking all of my books out, I noticed the same man with beautiful eyes walk into the room. Only he walked towards the front…the very front. He placed a bunch of books on the teachers desk and took a seat…in the TA's seat.

Please tell me how I'm supposed to focus for an entire semester with _that_ guy sitting in the front of the room.

Apparently I wasn't the only one who had noticed his…appeal.

Around me I heard girls giggling and whispering to their neighbors. I'm pretty sure I even saw a guy down the row taking in the view.

Eventually class started. Yep, Russian professor with no life. No surprise there.

I couldn't help but stare at the gorgeous man at the front of the room every few minutes…okay, every few seconds. But seriously, who couldn't? He was probably the reason people had been failing chemistry since he had been born.

While I tried to focus my attention on deciphering what the professor was saying, I felt like I was being watched. Almost instinctively, I looked down at the TA.

I think I had to do a double-take.

Was he looking at me? Were those two green emeralds actually looking at _me?_

I looked down for about two seconds, then looked back up. Yeah, definitely staring.

I cleared my throat a little and pretended to be writing things down. But I was (quite obviously) watching him watch me. And that's kind of how most of the class was spent that day. Me watching him watching me.

Kind of the ultimate creeper party.

And it didn't go unnoticed either. As we were leaving the class room, I felt a few dirty stares. As in _why would someone like him stare at _her_? _Alice on the other hand was beaming. "?" she rambled. "Way to state the obvious Alice…" I murmured.

As we were walking out of the building, I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Are you sure you're okay?" I heard a voice asked.

I spun around and was once again, caught by Mr. Pretty eyes. "Uh, yeah." I said brilliantly. "I'm walking straight…I think that's a good sign." I smiled. Oh no…I was trying to flirt.

_STOP IT!_ I yelled in my head.

To my relief, he smiled anyway at my "humor." "Well good, I'm your TA for Chemistry. Edward Cullen." he said professionally, holding out his hand. I shook it, praying he wouldn't notice that my palms had practically become prunes.

"Bella Swan." I answered, taking my hand away. "This is Alice" I said, nudging her. She smiled at him and shook his hand. "Pleased to meet you." he said shaking her hand as well.

"Well, it was really nice to meet you both." he said looking directly at me. "If you need any help, please don't hesitate to ask me." he continued, still looking right at me. "Thanks." I said, probably turning a little red in the face.

He nodded and walked away. He was so pretty when he walked.

"Alright drooly girl, let's go back to the dorm." Alice beamed dragging me with her. "You would get the hot TA to like you…" she added, smiling at me with that "all knowing" look. "Alice he just…offered…help." I stuttered.

"Oh please Bella, he was way into you. It was almost a little…creepy. But whatever, he's hot. And he's totally into you." she shrugged.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves Alice. I just hope he doesn't cause me to fail the class…" I laughed a little, realizing how ridiculous all the staring was. "Yeah, don't worry, I'm sure your 'study dates' will help a lot." Alice winked. I scoffed and gently pushed her. "Shut up." I glared.

"BELLY MCJELLY" I heard a voice yelling from behind me, soon followed by being lifted off of my feet and squeezed in a bear hug. It's okay, I didn't need to breathe anyway.

"Hey…Emmett…" I choked. Emmett put me down. "College eh? Should be fun." he laughed. Of course, Emmett had to be here with us too. Couldn't I get a_ break_ from high school?

I mean, don't get me wrong, I had an overall pleasant high school experience. I went to Forks high school, along with Emmett, Alice, and our friend Rosalie who was attending a smaller college just down the road. Emmett didn't like that too much. He and Rosalie were (and probably always would be) high school sweet hearts. He couldn't stand to be more than five feet away from her.

Emmett was the big and burly football player, and Rosalie was the perfect cheerleader girlfriend. Picture perfect right?

Fortunately for Alice and I, Rosalie just happened to be our best friend in the world, always there to keep Emmett's obnoxious personality in line. In a way I was kinda mad she decided to go to a different college. I mean, she was leaving me to deal with Alice _and _Emmett on a daily basis. And it wasn't like Jasper was there to save me either.

Jasper was Rose's twin brother who unfortunately, decided to travel for a while in Europe to pursue his music career. Thanks Jasper, way to leave me with your pixie girlfriend.

Alice had always been a terrific friend, she was just a ball of energy-that exploded…a lot. She was into fashion and cosmetics-always picking out outfits for everyone she could get her hands on and for _every_ occasion. In a way, we were the perfect gang. Except for the fact that I was always the fifth wheel. But I didn't mind it so much. I had seen my friends fight with their significant others. It wasn't pretty, and it created tension and drama in our friend group. Not something I needed to contribute to.

I decided to wait for the "right" one. I felt like what was meant to be was meant to be. And none of the guys in Forks high school were meant for me.

Emmett and I walked to the East side of campus, stopping at a coffee shop to grab a "pick-me-up." Like Emmett ever needed a pick-me-up. He had about as much energy as Alice, and about 5 times the body weight to express it.

I kind of liked being in a bigger campus. It was nice to be somewhere with multiple opportunities that didn't require I have my friends by my side at all times.

"Hey Bells, do you think that Rosie is gonna come visit us today? I miss her…I feel like I don't have anyone who loves me anymore!" he said dramatically throwing his head back. "Aww Emmett, we love you. She's probably making out with some other guy right now. You know…exploring her other opportunities." I said sarcastically nudging him. Emmett's face dropped, "Shut up Bella, Rosie would never do something like that." he muttered.

All of a sudden Emmett's face lit up. "EDDIE!" he cried, jumping up and almost knocking the table over.

I looked up, to see Emmett, holding a guy about half of his size. As he put the man down, I think my heart stopped again. Why was my hot TA being hugged by Emmett.

Wait…

Cullen…Emmett…crap.

"Belly Jelly, this is my brother Eddie." Emmett beamed, displaying his brother like a barbie doll.

"Hello Bella." Edward said calmly. "Hi." I murmured in response.

How did I not see this?

"WHOA HOLD IT EDDIE!" "Stop calling me that" "YOU KNOW BELLY?" "Stop calling me that" "IT'S LIKE A BELLYEDDIE SANDWHICH" "Stop calling me that!" Edward and I said at the same time.

"Whoa you guys…stop tripping me out." Emmett said, staring at us in disbelief.

"I'm Bella's TA for one of her classes." Edward said politely. I nodded, as if backing him up. "Ohhh…" Emmett said, suddenly calming down.

"Well, I'm gonna go find Rosy wherever she is…" Emmett said awkwardly getting his phone out. "See you later _Edward. Bella._" He said sarcastically walking away.

"Sometimes I feel like I ruin all his fun." Edward smiled after Emmett was far away. "Don't worry about it, I think I made him upset after teasing him about Rose." I shrugged, avoiding looking at his face.

Why did he just have to be so pretty?

"Who's Rose?" Edward frowned, looking at me. "His…girlfriend." I answered, as if it was obvious.

"Who on earth would be crazy enough to date Emmett?" he asked, bewildered. "You've obviously never met Rosalie." I murmured. "Anyway, I got to go" I said feeling a little awkward. How could Emmett not have told his own brother about Rosalie? He practically worshiped her!

"Oh okay…" Edward said, sounding disappointed. "I'll see you in class Isabella." he smiled at me.

"How did you know my…" "Alice." he answered, not letting me finish. I rolled my eyes.

"Fine, I'll see you later!" I said, turning to go. "Bye Bella" he called after me.

Edward confused me. First of all, he didn't know his brother's own girlfriend (and they had been dating for how long?). I didn't even know Emmett had a brother in the first place! Now he seemed to be absorbing information from my best friend…

Weird…

I made my way back to the dorm, and laid down on my bed.

College was full of the unexpected.

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	2. Chapter 2

I was almost giddy for Chemistry. And I can honestly tell you it wasn't because we would be balancing equations…

Alice and I sat closer to the front this time, I hadn't seen Edward since the "Emmett incident." Why was I so excited? Was it just because he was nice to look at? I mean, the chances of me dating a TA who was older than I, let alone was Emmett's older brother seemed highly unlikely.

However, every doubt I had was erased as Edward walked into the room. He was dressed in a grey pair of jeans and a tight fitting green v-neck shirt. It showed more than enough for me to feel comfortable. But I still couldn't help but stare at him. And almost instantly, he met my gaze. Edward smiled at me as he walked by our row, taking his place at the front of the room.

As eleven a.m. came around, Edward stood in front of the room. "Unfortunately Professor Bogaevskaia could not make it to class today, so I will be taking his place." he said smoothly. My breathing hitched for a moment, he spoke Russian so nicely. And wait a second…you mean I get to stare at him _and_ hear him talk all hour?

What could be better?

Oh yeah…getting a good grade in this class might be a good thing too.

Edward began writing on the board, and I couldn't help but check his ass out. Why was everything about him perfect?

Alice nudged me. I looked at her, and she winked at me. "What?" I mouthed at her. She pointed at her paper.

_Stop staring at him like that, I can practically feel the sexual frustration rolling off of you._

I rolled my eyes and furiously wrote a message back.

_I can't help it, he's too pretty for his own good. The more I see him, the more I want a study date :P_

Alice giggled and resumed paying attention to Edward. I looked back up at him, and I couldn't help but imagine what it would be like to date him.

He was probably one of those intimate dark types that read you poetry in a log cabin that he built himself. Sounds like an Old Spice commercial…

I bet he uses Old Spice…he probably smells really good. I bet his skin is super soft too…

My chain of thought was interrupted by Alice getting up. "Earth to Bella…" Alice said waving her hand in front of my face.

"Class is out early." she said shaking her head at me. "Oh…" I murmured standing up.

"Bella, come here please." I heard a silky voice say. I turned to the front of the classroom to see Edward leaning against the desk with his arms crossed. "See you later." I said to Alice, walking down the stairs of the lecture hall.

"Hi Edward." I said, smiling at him. He had a playful smirk on his face. "Can I see your problems from today?" he asked, looking down at the pile of papers in my hands. I looked down at my hands.

Of course Alice would write our little conversation on the exact piece of paper he wanted to see.

"Um…" I said, handing him a sheet of paper behind it.

"These are the problems from yesterday." he smirked. Fuck.

He knew. He knew I had been checking him out all hour.

"Uh…" I turned bright red as I handed him the sheet of paper. He was quiet for a moment, pretending to actually look at the work I had done (which was not a lot considering I had been looking at him most of the period).

"Well Bella, I think you might need some extra help. How about my apartment tonight at 7?" he said, the playful smile growing wider. "Sure." I said, looking down at my feet. He wrote the address down on the sheet of paper. "See you tonight." he said, gathering his things and leaving.

I looked down at the address. Right next to the number, he wrote:

_See you tonight, try to actually focus_

I blushed. Thanks Edward…now I most definitely wouldn't focus tonight.

I went back to the dorm, where Alice was waiting impatiently. "He saw our conversation…" I groaned, falling onto my bed.

"No way!" she said grabbing the worksheet with his address. "What time?" she asked excitedly, as if she just knew I was going there tonight. "7"I answered covering my head with a pillow.

"We need to get you ready." she said, running to her "cabinet." It was filled with every torture device imaginable. Mascara, blush, hairbrushes galore. "Alice, it's a study date. Not an actual date." I said. "Anyway, it's only 2 in the afternoon. If anything, I should study up on what I missed during his lesson." "You didn't miss much Bella." Alice giggled.

"Huh?" I asked, turning to look at her. "Yeah, he basically just told us to read chapter 2 and went about writing other stuff on the board. It was a boring class…not that you had a boring time." she winked. "I couldn't help it…" I muttered.

Alice laughed again. "Just read chapter 2 and you'll be good to go." she said, going through her makeup. I swear she took inventory on that drawer every hour.

I walked up to the apartment building, gasping at how expensive it looked. I gripped my bag. _You can do this Bella…_

I rang the bell, and Edward said, "Come on up." The door unlocked and I walked up the stairs.

I knocked on his apartment door softly. Sure enough, he was at the door in a matter of seconds. He opened the door and smiled. "Hello Isabella." he said smoothly, as if he knew I hated it when anyone called me that. "Hi Edward." I answered, softly.

I followed him inside and looked around. There was a large window, giving a large view of Seattle. There was a fancy looking kitchen next to the living room. He led me down a couple of stairs into the living area, and I took a seat on the couch. The room was very dimly lit, not the best studying atmosphere.

"You going to turn a light on?" I joked. "Nah, I like to teach in the dark." he said, something underneath his voice.

I didn't respond to him. Edward took my bag away and took my hand, standing me back up. I think my legs just turned to jello.

Edward had a hand on my waist as his face got a _lot_ closer to mine. "Bella you have no idea how hard it is to control myself when I'm around you…" he murmured pulling me closer. I was speechless.

"Now, let's get started on those problems." he smirked, letting go of me and sitting on the chair that was right next to the couch.

What. The. Fuck.

If it was so hard to _control himself_, why was he teasing me like this? I mean, I was pretty close to just kissing him right then and there…but seriously Edward?

With a confused look on my face (definitely not because of Chemistry problems), I sat down on the couch and took out my text book.

"I read chapter two…" I murmured, slowly flipping the pages. "Good, give me a summary." he said, looking at me with that damn playful smirk again.

How the hell was I supposed to give him a summary about the properties of water when he sat on that chair smiling at me like that?

"Well, water is made up of hydrogen and oxygen and…" I began, attempting to remember _anything_ I knew about water. I'm pretty sure I would have started saying "It comes out of drinking fountains and people drink it a lot because our bodies are made up of mostly water."

Edward however, saved me from my own stupidity by interrupting. "How long have you known Emmett?" he murmured, as if in deep thought.

"…Excuse me?" I looked up at him after trying to think up something to say about water. "How long have you known Emmett?" he asked again.

"Oh, I'm not sure, since the beginning of high school." I shrugged, relieved at the change of subject. "Interesting." he murmured. "I graduated the year before Emmett started high school. I'm just…surprised I never met you until now, considering how close you and Emmett seem to be." Edward continued, not looking at me. He chewed on the end of a pen, staring at the floor.

"Well, you probably went to college right away…and Seattle isn't exactly next door neighbors with Forks." I said, trying to figure out his thoughts. "Right…" he said quietly, still staring at the floor. "You're dad was the police chief of Forks right?" "Still is, probably always will be." I smiled, Charlie was close to my heart-keeping my sanity when Renee, my mom, couldn't.

"I see, I always knew he had a daughter…" he said, as if placing things together in his head. "Edward, aren't we supposed to be…studying?" I asked. I didn't think I'd be answering questions about my family tonight. I was expecting more of me drooling on the floor while I stare at Edward talk about the properties of water. What could be better?

"Hm…probably. I was actually just curious to see if you would come tonight. It was pretty obvious you weren't paying attention today…" I blushed "…but I'm glad you came. It shows you're a good student. And to be honest, none of the stuff in chapter 2 is on your final, so don't worry about actually reading it." Edward smiled. It was nice to see him talking coherently-not as if he was trying to solve a mystery. "Thanks." I said. "I should probably go then…" I stood up, grabbing my book bag.

"Only if you want to." Edward said, clear as day, still sitting in his chair. "Well…I…um…" I stuttered, feeling a blush rise up to my cheeks again. Edward smiled at me. "We could watch a movie or something if you like, or we could…" "A movie sounds nice." I interrupted, speaking a little too fast. _Way to be smooth Bella…_

Edward smiled and walked up to a large cabinet. He opened it and began shuffling through the movies. "Romeo and Juliet?" he asked, pulling a DVD out. How on earth could he possibly know I _loved_ Jane Austen? I smiled and nodded, sitting back down on the couch.

"It's Friday night, and I kind of have a feeling you wouldn't want to go back to spend the whole entire night with Alice." Edward said, putting the movie in. He was absolutely right. Alice had told me that when I get back she needed to try out a few new products on me. Thank you Edward. I laughed and nodded as Edward took a seat next to me on the couch.

Oh. My. Gosh. I was sitting next to the most attractive person ever and watching a Jane Austen movie with him. What did I do to be so lucky?

The movie started and I leaned back a little, completely aware of exactly how close Edward was. He _did_ smell like Old Spice. I smiled a little, resisting the urge to look up at his face.

As soon as the actors began to speak, Edward began whispering the lines, going along with the movie. I shivered. He even **memorized** it. I felt Edward moving closer, and I unwillingly (okay, totally willingly) moved closer to him.

Just as I felt his arm making it's way around my shoulder, I heard a loud knock at the door.

"EDDIE!" I heard from behind the door. "Emmett…" Edward and I both growled under our breath.

Edward reluctantly got up to answer the door. There was no ignoring Emmett. He opened the door, and was met by a beaming face. "Eddie! I want you to meet my babe." "Girlfriend." I heard a voice correct him.

"Rose!" I squealed, jumping up and running to the door next to Edward's side.

"BELLA!" Rose squealed, pushing past Edward to hug me. "Oh my gosh I feel like I haven't seen you in forever!" Rose said, pulling away. "I know! Why did you leave me with _him_?" I joked, smiling at Emmett.

"Bella…why are you in Edward's apartment?" Emmett asked, suddenly confused. "She was studying with me." Edward answered for me, looking down at me. "Uhuh…studying. Listen Eddie, don't pull any crap with my little sister alright?" Emmett glared at Edward.

Why on earth was Emmett being so protective of me against Edward? Edward brushed it off, and moved away from the door to talk to Rose. "It's very nice to finally meet you Rosalie." Edward said, smiling at her. "Emmett seems to like protecting those that are close to him from his big scary older brother." Edward chuckled, looking at me.

"It's okay, Emmett can't hide _me_ for very long." Rose winked at Emmett, nudging him. "Exploring opportunities…" I sang, backing away from Emmett. "Bella…" Emmett whined, pouting at Rosalie. He was such a two year old sometimes. I admit I didn't help that much.

"What is she talking about?" Rose asked, confused. "Belly was teasing me saying you were gonna cheat on me at that stupid private college…" "Oh Emmett, now why would I do that?" Rose spoke like she was Emmett's mom, pinching his cheek. "She's just…crazy." Emmett stuck his tongue out at me. I giggled. I missed having Rose around all the time, she helped balance our group.

Edward stood next to me, leaning against the back of the couch. "It's getting late, I should probably take you home." Edward said, eyeing Rose and Emmett.

"You better kick them out soon, they might destroy your apartment if they get any closer." I laughed, remembering a time I let Rose and Emmett watch a movie with me. Never again…

"Yeah." Edward breathed, moving towards the door. "You guys I'm taking Bella home. It was nice to meet you Rose." he moved closer to the door, grabbing some keys. I grabbed my bag and followed him out of the apartment.

"Fine Eddie, I'm going back to Rosie's place." Emmett smiled maliciously. "Bye you guys!" I said, hugging Rose. "You're coming over…soon." I said, pulling away. "Definitely." Rose smiled, falling back into Emmett's arms.

Sometimes I really envied her. Always having someone to fall back on. Especially someone as protective as Emmett, someone who will always care about you.

I followed Edward to the parking garage, and he led me to an expensive looking Volvo. Of course-expensive apartment, expensive car, expensive everything.

He opened the door for me as I slid inside. "You live on campus right?" Edward asked. "Yeah." I said, looking out the window. Edward got into the drivers seat and looked…almost angry. "I feel like I wasted your time." Edward sighed, starting the car.

"No, not at all." I said, smiling at him. It felt almost, natural sitting in the car with him. Like it didn't matter if we were having a conversation or not.

"Yes I did. I barely helped you with Chemistry and we watched about 5 minutes of Romeo and Juliet when _they_ interrupted." Edward growled. Why was he upset about this?

"Don't worry about it, I've seen that movie plenty of times…" _Yeah Bella, but you've never watched it while he was whispering the lines in your ear._

"I don't want to take you home yet. Where do you want to go?" Edward asked suddenly, pulling out of the garage.

"Anywhere." I breathed. This was like a dream. He wanted to spend time with _me._

Edward smiled and took off on the street.

Oh. My. Gosh.

This man drove like a freaking maniac. "SLOW DOWN!" I gasped, holding onto whatever I could find. Edward chuckled darkly. "Calm down Bella, I have a spotless driving record." Edward beamed, cruising down the highway now. I had no idea where we even were.

"You're talking to the daughter of a police chief. I always drive about 10 miles per hour under the speed limit." I said, still gripping the sides of the car. "Honestly Bella, you'll give yourself a heart attack." Edward said, taking my hand. I felt myself instantly relax, yet I still felt giddy. _He's holding my hand!_ I smiled, looking down at his hand holding mine.

"Where are we going?" I asked, my tone now relaxed. "It's a surprise." Edward chuckled, something hidden under his laugh.

"I hate surprises." I frowned, glaring at the road as if it was taking me to the underworld of no return.

"Too bad." Edward smiled, holding my hand tighter.

For some weird reason, I think I could handle surprises, just as long as Edward was holding my hand.

**Awww, now isn't that just sweet? I got quite a few story alerts after the last chapter (and that always makes me super happy), so I decided to keep writing. I'm thinking I'll upload on a weekly basis, if that's alright with you. Now, please review. If you do, I'll give you an Edward cookie.**


	3. Chapter 3

"Seriously Edward, where are we going? And how do you see out of these windows?" I asked, squinting my eyes. Edward must have felt the need to get his windows tinted so no one could see how beautiful he was.

Edward chuckled and pressed a button, making the windows roll down. The cool fall breeze felt better than good, and I could almost see a few trees along the road. "You'll see soon enough Bella, be patient." Edward smiled, giving my hand a squeeze. I let out a sigh of frustration, leaning back in my seat to enjoy the night air. I closed my eyes, feeling content. I could do patient, for about five minutes. Edward pulled his hand away for a moment to turn the radio on, probably sick of me asking where we were going. A sweet melody filled the air, Chopin I think. Edward took my hand again and continued driving. How on earth did this happen? I was in the car with one of my best friend's brothers! I always thought Emmett's brother would be more like him. A jolly much more sexy version of Santa Claus. But instead I got Edward. Quiet, mysterious, and alluring in all the best ways. For the first time during the car ride, I felt completely safe and content. Edward was mine for the duration of the car ride, that much I knew. And I could live with that. I almost didn't want to know where we were going, just as long as it was far away.

However, Edward had other plans as I felt the car slow down to a stop. "You look so peaceful like this." Edward murmured as I felt him stroke my cheek. I smiled and opened my eyes. "Where are we?" my impatient inner-child asked. "Get out of the car and see." Edward smirked, pulling his hands away and getting out of the car. He came around to my side and opened the door, such a gentleman. I got out of the car and looked around.

"Why are we at Lincoln Park?" I asked, my eye catching the sign to my right.

_**LINCOLN PARK**_

_**HOURS: 6am to 10 pm**_

"Edward, we can't be here." I said, crossing my arms. Edward rolled his eyes and grabbed my hand, pulling me to the entrance. "You're joking right? You're attempting to get a chief's daughter to break the rules." I said, pulling back on his grasp. "Loosen up Bella." Edward said, excitement gleaming in his eyes. Edward and Emmett at least had one thing in common, rule breaking. I'm sure their parents are so proud.

Edward pulled me along, walking towards the beach. "We're gonna get caught." I said as I reluctantly followed him onto the beach. "Can you run pretty fast?" he asked, smirking at me. "Not without falling over." "I'll carry you." Edward laughed, sitting down on the sand. I sat next to him, looking out towards the moon. "I didn't realize it was a full moon tonight." I murmured, feeling less horrible about breaking my reputation for being a goody two shoes. "Yes, it's beautiful." Edward said, taking my hand again. He began to draw patterns on the back of my hand with his thumb, I instantly relaxed. "Edward, why do you like me?" I asked quietly. _Wow Bella, way to be blunt. _

I felt myself go stiff, realizing I was scared to hear the answer. Maybe it was too soon to ask that question. I'd only known Edward for two days, why on earth would I just imply he likes me? Maybe he just wants sex-and he's using his pretty boy skills to seduce me. Then again, I know his mother, and she would never raise her child that way. As much as Emmett can be an asshole, he would never take advantage of a woman like that.

I looked at Edward, feeling like a child covering both of her eyes but peeking through two fingers. "I don't know Bella. Am I not allowed to just like you? You haven't been the most discreet, especially with that note." I blushed. "Although it was cute, I thought we left note passing behind in 3rd grade." Edward smiled, nudging me gently. "Well, blame Alice." I retorted, coming up with any excuse I could use to turn away so I could hide the immediate blush that was flooding my face.

"I suppose this is very forward of me to just invite you to 'study' and then do something completely different. I'm sorry I took advantage of my position as your TA." Edward said, seeming genuinely apologetic. "It's okay, I was very glad you did." I said, turning back towards him. "Good." Edward murmured, leaning closer to me. "The moonlight looks beautiful on your skin." Edward said, reaching a hand up. As much as I wanted him to touch me, I stopped him. This wasn't right-the goody two shoes inside of me was angry. How could I be with my Chemistry TA? People would just think I was sleeping with him to get a good grade. And he's my friend's brother-how inappropriate. There were way too many things that could go wrong with this relationship-and it would better to put an end to it now rather than after something horrible happens. "Stop." I said, pushing his hand away. Edward's face fell, cracking my heart into two. I didn't realize the effect of my gesture. "I'm sorry." Edward said, stiffening out and turning away from me, his tone completely rejected. Way to go goody two shoes. "No Edward don't be, I just don't think this is an appropriate….relationship." I said, hating myself for even saying this. How often does an extremely attractive man sweep you off your feet in two days? I was such an idiot. Why did I just reject him.

"Let's go home." Edward said, getting up. I quietly followed him back to the car, finally realizing what I had just done.

A week had passed of Edward not talking to me. That's what I got for considering "us" inappropriate. I was so stupid, beyond stupid, idiotic. Edward obviously hadn't been trying to get in my pants, he would probably go back to acting normal if that's what his intentions were. But no, he seemed genuinely hurt. Even Alice took a break from her usual happy persona to mention how bent out of shape Edward had been in class since I rejected him.

While walking home from my English class, I saw Emmett walking, more like barreling towards me. Why did I bother sharing my schedule with him? "Belly Jelly we gotta talk." Emmett said, attempting to be serious. I wish I had the heart to tell him I couldn't take anything he said seriously when he associated "jelly" with my name. "What's up Emmett?" I said, continuing to walk, attempting to seem pissed off. Here comes a lecture on how I broke his brother's heart after knowing him for two days. Emmett had always blown these things way out of proportion.

"Okay now I know you aren't going to like this, but we're going camping this weekend." Emmett practically shouted, smiling and throwing his massive arms up. "SURPRISE!" He beamed. My jaw dropped. Every time I had ever gone camping, it ended in disaster. Due to my clumsiness, I have almost drowned in the lake, set our tent on fire, destroyed countless smores, and had an unfortunate run in with a wild turkey. Camping was not my thing.

"No." I protested, glaring at Emmett. "Now Belly I know it isn't your favorite, but maybe this time…" "No." I grumbled, attempting to walk faster. Maybe I would be lucky and run into Rose. She was always successful in shutting him up. "Please?" Emmett pouted, stepping in front of me, preventing my escape. "No." I repeated. "We'll stay in a cabin this time!" "That I will burn to the ground." I added, trying to walk around the giant that now stood in front of me. I knew Emmett wasn't going to give up. Alice would pack a bag, and Emmett would throw me in the car and let me scream and kick all I wanted until we got to the camping site. At least I could say I put up a fight.

And to no surprise, by the time I had gotten back to my dorm room, Alice had my duffel bag packed and ready to go. I made sure to add some more comfortable clothes, as Alice tended to bring the most fabulous things she could possibly find in my closet. She had a limited selection. But I really didn't understand why I would need eveningwear in the wilderness. At least it was in a cabin Emmett rented and not a tent that I could somehow manage to roll into the lake. The cabin was by Lake Crescent, closer to home. As much as I was looking forward to being in a car with Emmett, Rose, and Alice, I would have preferred to stay home. Camping was not my thing, even if it meant our gang could get back together minus one blonde haired traveler.

"Are you ready?" I asked Alice, picking up my small duffel bag. "Yeah." Alice said quietly, dragging her gigantic suitcase out the door. "Alice what's wrong?" I asked, closing the door behind me and locking it. "I just wish Jasper was here, things feel incomplete without him." Alice said, sulkily dragging her suitcase down the hallway.

"Alice…" I sighed, running after her. "Don't worry about it. Jasper will be back before Christmas, and then you will have him all to yourself." I smiled as reassuringly as I could manage. "Sure." Alice murmured, putting on a fake smile. I wish Jasper would come home, things always felt incomplete without him.

We walked out of our building and down to where Emmett's jeep was waiting. Rose beamed at us and ran to give us a hug. If there was one thing Rose was good at, it was making Alice and I feel like the most special people in the world. Maybe we could have some girl time and leave Emmett to go fight bears.

Emmett, completely oblivious to our somber mood, joined the group hug. "Are you ready to go? I can't wait to go fishing and camping and build fires and…" "Emmett did you remember your spare set of shoes?" Rose interrupted, breaking the hug. "Uh, I think so, let me go check." Emmett smiled, kissing Rose's forehead and practically skipping off to check his bag. Alice and I smiled at each other, Rose should write a book on how to deal with Emmett.

"ROSIE WHERE ARE MY SHOES?" Emmett boomed from the back of the jeep. "Did you look in the side pocket?" Rose grumbled, leaving Alice and I to go deal with her boyfriend. Alice's mood seemed to be lifted a little higher, our family was almost back together again. As much as I complained about my friends, there was no way I could live without them.

"You ready to go?" Emmett smiled, pushing Alice and I to the jeep. "Yes Emmett." Alice laughed, kissing his cheek. Emmett turned to pick me up and throw me in the back seat. "I'm perfectly capable of getting in myself!" I protested, sticking my tongue out at him and climbing in behind Alice. "Just don't want you backing out of me Belly." Emmett laughed, walking to the drivers side.

Emmett buckled himself in and began playing with his ipod. "Ahem…" Rose blurted out, holding her hand out. "Okay Rosie…" Emmett pouted, handing his ipod to her. "Put it on the road trip playlist!" Emmett smiled, nudging Rose. Soon, we were on the road, and I wondered what exactly was in store for this trip.

JADJADJADJADJAD

About an hour after we had left Seattle, Emmett pulled over to a gas station complaining he was hungry. "Emmy you ate two hours ago!" Rose threw her hands on her hips getting out of the car. "But Rosie I need food!" Emmett grumbled, rubbing his stomach. "There is food in the car!" She snapped, narrowing her eyes. "But I want candy." Emmett pouted, shrinking down to the size of a five year old boy begging his mom for a candy bar at Target. "Fine Emmett. I have to pee anyway." Rose slammed the door shut, stalking off to the bathroom. "Girls, come on." Emmett motioned for us to follow him. "I'm good." Alice said, leaning back in her seat. "Alice, we should get out of the car just to stretch our legs." I said, pulling on her hand. I felt like I needed to stretch, an hour of Rose and Emmett arguing over what song we should listen to makes you sore. "Fine." Alice sighed, opening the car door and getting out.

I followed her, and was met only by the most obnoxious squeal I had ever heard. "OH MY GOD JASPER!" Alice yelled, throwing her arms around a blond haired man standing two feet in front of the car door. I looked up, and sure enough it was Jasper, holding Alice to the ground before she shot off into the sky like a rocket. It was euphoric to see him, our family would be complete. "Jasper!" I smiled, giving him a side hug as Alice was glued to him. "Hey Bella." He grinned, giving me a knowing look before returning to his girlfriend. Alice looked up at Jasper and moved in close to give him a long well-deserved kiss. I looked away, it was a habit of allowing my friends to have their private moments. I hoped one day, they would return the favor.

Emmett walked around to me, beaming. "You planned this didn't you?" I looked up at the jolly giant. "Duh. Can't let Jasper come into town without a little surprise camping trip now can I?" He laughed, elbowing me harder than he thought. I rubbed my ribs, smiling at my best friend. I was so happy she would be content throughout the trip. Our family was together again, and I couldn't have asked for anything more. It was the best distraction from the Edward drama. "Let's hit the road again, we have about an hour left." Emmett said loudly to give Jasper and Alice the hint that reunion time was over. "I'm going in Jazzy's car!" Alice squealed, running towards Jasper's car.

"Looks like it's you and me Bella." Emmett said, attempting to pick me up. "Excuse me!" Rosalie grunted, walking up to Emmett. "And Rosie too." Emmett smiled, pulling her into a group hug. Rose pulled away and walked over to Jasper to give him a hug. "Hey brother." She laughed, ruffling his hair. "Rose, seriously don't!" Jasper complained, pushing away. I missed Rose and Jasper's dynamic, they were probably the most stereotypical brother and sister pair I knew, yet they were so unique in their own way.

"TIME TO CAMP!" Emmett boomed, walking towards the car. "Didn't you forget something?" a voice from behind me said. Shit. No. No. No. No no no no no. Emmett you didn't. You had to find at least one sure way to torture me on this trip. I turned around.

Yep. It was Edward.

"EDDIE!" Emmett gleefully jumped, running to hug his brother. "I thought you weren't going to come?" He said, patting his brother on the back. "I couldn't miss your…camping trip could I?" Edward said, giving me a side glance. Great. He was still pissed. This was probably his own sick way of punishing me.

"Hi Edward!" Rose smiled, giving him a hug. Why did Rose never mention she knew Edward? "Hey Edward!" Jasper followed, shaking his hand.

Jasper knew him too? Where was I when everyone was getting so chummy?

"JAZZY LET'S GO!" Alice shouted from the car, soon spotting Edward. "EDWARD! HI!" Alice added, waving her little arms in the air. Edward gave her a wave and turned back to Emmett. "Well, we should get going." Edward said, nodding towards his car.

"Belly, go with Eddie!" Emmett said, gently shoving me towards Edward. I made a mental note to myself. _Emmett, the next time you need someone to help you do homework, I'm going to tell you every answer is 'remember the time you made me ride in a car with your brother who hated me? Yeah I do too.'_

Edward shot a look at his brother, but Emmett had already grabbed Rose, apparently eager to have time alone with her. I turned towards Edward. "Mind giving me a ride?" I asked quietly, looking at the ground. "Sure." Edward said, moving towards his car. I grabbed my bag and threw it in the backseat. As soon as we were on the road, the tension was present. I hated awkward car rides. I was always afraid to move. As if moving a finger would trigger some horrible argument, but something told me Edward was not in the mood to argue. Why would he want to come on this trip anyway? It was just Emmett and a bunch of his friends. Why would he be interested in spending a weekend getaway trip with a bunch of college freshman? Surely he had better things to do.

Edward, sensing the tension too, hit a button, and soon a melancholy piece filled the car. At least I had something to distract me now from the horribly awkward silence between us.

About half an hour later, Edward pulled over to another gas station. "I need to fill up." He said, getting out of the car. "Let me help" I grumbled, digging out my wallet. "No." Edward objected, glaring at me. "I insist. I should help pay for gas." I said, pulling my card out. "Bella, no." Edward grunted, pushing my card away. "Please let me help." I said, feeling like I couldn't win the fight. "No." he said, narrowing his eyes. Edward saw my unavoidable defeat. I pulled away, tucking my wallet away. "Sorry." I said, tucking my hair behind my ear. Edward didn't say anything and got out of the car to fill up the car. By the time Edward had gotten back in the car, I felt like crying.

Why was I so emotional over Edward? All he did was reject money to pay for gas. But it seemed like such a larger gesture, as if he was showing me he was pushing me away completely. Tears pricked at my eyes. Way to cry in your TA's car Bella. I turned towards the window and Edward pulled out of the parking lot, feeling my hands shake.

"Don't cry." Edward murmured, the mood suddenly changing. "I didn't mean to be so…harsh." He continued. Oh great now _he's _apologizing. "Just…forget about it." Edward said, speeding the car up. I think both of us couldn't wait to get to the cabin.


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay everyone, here's chapter 4! Hope you enjoy Reviews are appreciated!**

I stared at Emmett completely flushed. There was no way in hell I was sharing a room with Edward.

"But Belly, we've been planning this trip for weeks! It's not my fault you and Edward decided to fight!" "So you were just expecting Edward and I to know each other for a couple weeks and want to sleep in the same room?" I snapped.

"I can sleep on the couch…" Edward murmured from behind Emmett and I. "Stay out of it Eddie! Belly needs to take a chill pill!" Emmett pouted, glaring at his brother. On occasion, Emmett and I got into heated arguments. It happened when Emmett and I simply couldn't compromise. Plus, Emmett was being (as always) completely unreasonable, expecting me to sleep in the same room as his brother. I scoffed at the thought of it. Given, it wasn't in the same bed, but I'm pretty sure Edward was still angry, and I probably wouldn't be able to get any sleep because I'd be too busy panicking over whether I snore or not.

"Bella it's really no big deal." Edward tried to break my staring contest with Emmett. "Fine." I gave in, stalking off with my bag to the room with two twin size beds. Emmett _would_ get a three bedroom cabin and then have Jasper show up so I'd be stuck with Edward. If this was Emmett's way of matchmaking, he'd be better off setting up Alice with Ralph Lauren.

I sighed as I heard Edward come in the room behind me. "Bella I can sleep on the couch…" "No Edward it's fine." I snapped. Crap. "Sorry." I turned around quickly. Edward smiled at me, "No worries. I'd rather there not be any hard feelings between us." "Oh.."

So Edward wasn't mad at me anymore? That was quick…a little too quick.

Edward put his bag on one of the beds and left the room to go help Jasper with the fire they were setting up.

I could do this. I could be civil with Edward without trying to apologize every five seconds and begging him to be my boyfriend. While unpacking my bag, I noticed a note at the bottom on top of all my undergarments.

_**Packed these just in case things get better with Eddie :) **_

"ALICE!" I shrieked, too loud to go unnoticed. She packed lingerie, lots of lingerie. I didn't know I even owned most of these lacy garments. "Oh wait, I don't." I murmured, noticing all the price tags still attached. Emmett came barreling into the room, just in time to find me holding up a blue lacy thong.

"BELLY WANTS TO GET LAID!" Emmett boomed, running out of the room laughing. "Emmett shut up!" I squealed, running after him with the underwear in my hand. By the time I had jumped on Emmett in the living room, I noticed Alice sitting on Jasper's lap, giggling her head off, Jasper was too busy being entranced by Alice's giggle, Rose was shaking her head at Emmett and I, and Edward was staring at me, more so at the lacy underwear in my right hand. I quickly jumped off of Emmett and hid the garment behind my back. "I hate you Alice." I glowered, stalking back into my room, making Alice laugh harder. My face was surely the color of a tomato by now. How could I let Edward see that? How could Alice pack such…sexy underwear for me? She didn't actually expect me to use it did she?

Alice ran into the room after me. "Oh my gosh Bella you should have seen your face!" Alice giggled, laying down on my bed. "This isn't funny Alice." I said, stuffing the underwear back in my bag. "Hey, you never know. Maybe you and Edward will get more…comfortable." "Alice shut up!" I snapped, my tomato face on fire. "Chill out Bella, I thought you could use some updates to your underwear collection, so I took the liberty of…" "Thanks Alice." I sighed, not in the mood to argue with her over buying me clothes. She knew I hated it when she "took the liberty of updating my wardrobe." Yet she did it anyway. But did she really have to do it when Edward was around? I mean, he just stopped being angry with me…I think.

"Dinner will be in five minutes." Alice said, getting up and skipping back to Jasper.

_I will get through this weekend, even if it kills me._

1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1

Two hotdogs and a smore later, I had finally settled into our "weekend getaway." As much as I despised being in the wilderness, I couldn't deny the solidarity I felt by being with my family. I never really considered Charlie or Renee my family. Yes, they would always be my mom and dad, but Renee was never the kind of person I could sit and talk to about girl problems. And Charlie didn't want to talk at all. All I really had were my friends, and they accepted me with open arms from day one of preschool. We were inseparable, despite our differences. So having the people I grew up with surrounding me right now, felt like the most comforting situation ever, even if I was getting eaten alive by mosquitoes.

The only horrible feelings I had was when Edward and I made eye contact. He felt…invasive. He didn't belong with us. It was supposed to be me, Emmett, Rose, Alice and Jasper. That was our group, no more no less. Edward's presence made me feel claustrophobic, out of my comfort zone. As much as I had felt I could be myself with Edward, I couldn't find the normal joy I felt in Emmett's sex jokes, Rose's hidden sense of humor, Alice's laughter, and Jasper's understanding glances at me when we looked at how crazy our friends were.

So, to no surprise, as soon as Emmett busted out the beer he always managed to sneak into these "outings," I found myself drinking until I forced myself feel comfortable.

"Whoa, Belly slow it down!" Emmett laughed as I reached for my third can. Alice gave me concerning look, but soon shrugged and returned to running her fingers through Jasper's hair. I'm pretty sure nothing could matter more to Alice right now than spending time with Jasper. If Alice wasn't such a hog, maybe I could actually have a conversation that lasted more than 5 seconds with Jasper before he leaves again.

Before I had finished my third can, I really felt the wooziness. I was such a lightweight. "I'm…gonna go to…bed." I murmured, standing up too fast. Before I could hit the ground, I felt a familiar pair of arms catch me and attempt to stand me back up before my legs gave way. I felt like I was floating in the air, my head was so dizzy. "Are you okay?" I heard someone ask. I turned towards the voice and saw a very _very_ pretty face staring at me. "You're pretty." I giggled, tapping the person's nose. "Haha, you're funny." "I know." I giggled again, stretching out on my cloud. Suddenly, my cloud was moving, and was then landed on another very fluffy cloud. "Mmmm" I mumbled, snuggling into the soft warmness. I soon realized my cloud was gone. "Come back…" I murmured, reaching out for my cloud, and soon enough it materialized in my hands. "I'm so sleepy…" I said to my cloud, snuggling in. My cloud had such strong, yet soft arms. "Go to sleep." My cloud murmured in my ear. "Okay." I answered, soon drifting off into sweet sleep.

1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1

I slowly opened my eyes, hugging my pillow closer to me. Wait, this is too hard to be a pillow. What am I…?

I looked up to see Edward, still asleep. And I was practically on top of him, sleeping in my bed. Did Edward and I…? No. There's no way he would do that. Right? I tried to quietly slip out of his arms, but Edward pulled me back to him, slowly shifting in his sleep. I frowned as I tried again to remove his arms from around my waist. I sighed as I wrestled with his stubborn arms until I finally got them off of me. As I sat up, I felt a very strong pain enter my head. Great. I'm hung over. Who knows what crazy things I did last night.

As I got up and stretched out, suddenly hearing Edward move around. I turned around to see him feeling around the bed, as if he was searching for something. "Bella..?" Edward murmured, opening his eyes. Okay, I'll admit it. Just-woken-up Edward is sexy as hell.

"Oh sorry…" he mumbled, looking up at me. "No problem" I said, putting my hair up. I smelled like bonfire. I prayed I didn't burn anything down.

Walking out to the kitchen, I caught a glimpse of Emmett snoring on a couch in the living room with Rose crashed on the floor beside him. Emmett was such a bed/couch hog.

"Got any coffee?" Edward said from the doorway behind me. "Yeah." I said pouring myself a cup. Thank goodness for time sensitive coffee makers. "Thanks." Edward said as I poured him a mug. Suddenly, I couldn't control my word vomit.

"We didn't…um…" I stuttered, looking at Edward curiously, hoping he would figure out what I was trying to say. "Do what?" Edward asked, sipping his coffee and raising an eyebrow at me. _Ugh why is he so hot?_

"I mean, we didn't do….it?" I blushed, turning to my mug, trying to hide my face. I heard Edward chuckle. "Do what Bella?" he asked, pretending to be clueless. _Don't act like you don't know…_

"We didn't have sex last night right?" I said, finally demanding clarification. Screw formality. Two can play at that game. "No." Edward said, obviously surprised by my sudden bluntness. "Good." I answered, relief filling my achy body. "Good?" Edward asked, seeming almost disappointed. "Well…yeah." I said as I fished out some advil for my headache. "Oh…" Edward answered, going back to his coffee.

"Do you need some?" I offered the pill bottle to Edward. "I don't drink." Edward answered, downing the rest of his coffee. "Oh." I said, quickly putting the pill bottle away. "Sleep well?" Edward asked, putting his mug in the sink. _Now you're just being mean._

"Mm-hmm." I answered, strolling past him, trying to act as angry as I could with a raging headache. "Good." Edward said, following me back to the room. "I'm gonna shower." I said, grabbing my bag and strolling over to the bathroom and locking the door behind me. A shower would do me good, and I needed time away from Mr. Sexy Bed Head.

1-1-1-1-1-1-1

"BELLY I HAVE TO PEE!"

Leave it to Emmett to ruin a perfectly good shower. "Hang on a minute!" I said, trying to keep my head from exploding. I grabbed a towel and opened the door, only to be pushed out of the way and have the door slammed behind me. Shit. All of my clothes were in the bathroom.

"Emmett hurry up!" I said, knocking on the door as obnoxiously as I could manage without my towel falling off. I heard footsteps behind me, and turned around to be faced with Edward.

"Hi." Edward said, obviously feeling as awkward as I did. I blushed ten shades darker than a tomato. "Hi." I murmured, leaning against the door. "I…uh…was just going…that way." Edward pointed down the hallway, slowly walking around me, keeping his eyes locked on my face. "Yeah." I breathed, turning towards the bathroom door again. "EMMETT OPEN THIS DOOR NOW!" I shrieked, banging on the door as soon as Edward was down the hallway. "Geez Belly, calm yourself." Emmett said, leaving the bathroom.

I quickly put my clothes on and combed my hair. There. I no longer had the essence of bonfire on me. Walking towards the bedroom, I saw Alice and Jasper collapsed on top of each other, still asleep. I couldn't help but smile, happy that Alice finally had her Jasper back.

Rose walked past me and frowned. "What did you and Edward do last night?" she asked, concern on her face. "Nothing…I guess he just slept in my bed." "Oh…he just seems, upset." She murmured, walking away as if she hadn't said anything. If there was ever an award for being ambiguous, Rose would win the gold medal.

Walking towards my bedroom, I heard Edward on the phone.

"No Tanya…that's not true…I would really appreciate it if you would stop calling me….seriously Tanya I've had enough…I have to go." Edward muttered into the phone.

I walked into the room as soon as I knew he was off the phone. Edward turned around, startled by my oddly perfect timing. "Hey." I said, trying to act like he didn't just see me in a towel. "Hi." Edward mumbled, distracted by something else. "Everything ok?" I asked, pretending to act disinterested as I put my toiletries back into my bag. "Yeah." He responded, flipping through his phone again. Before we could further continue our small talk, Jasper came into the room.

"Bella, do you have Alice's hair brush, she's seriously freaking out about it." He asked quickly, seeming extremely concerned. "No, I don't think so…" I said, going through my bag again. "Leave it to Alice to forget her freaking hairbrush." Jasper sighed, sitting down on my bed, completely ignoring Edward. I laughed, "Just tell her to use her fingers!" Jasper laughed in response. We both knew Alice would sooner use a porcupine to brush her hair than use something as ridiculous as her hands. "She's a handful isn't she?" Jasper sighed, smiling to himself. "Yeah, gotta love her anyway." I said. "I missed you Jazz." "Missed you too Bella. I'm going to go get a fork for Alice. Maybe she'll settle for that." He smiled, nudging me before he left the room.

I quickly remembered Edward was still there. "Is Alice really that much of a diva?" Edward asked, smirking at me. "You'd be surprised." I sighed, throwing my bag under my bed. "Sounds like…nevermind." Edward shook his head.

"Get out here losers!" Rose called from the kitchen, obviously in a "I'm not taking any shit" mood. Rose was an angry drunk-and an even angrier hung over personality.

"We should get out there." I sighed, rubbing my temples. My headache had dissipated somewhat, and I could bear being around Emmett for more than two minutes. Edward followed me into the kitchen where Rose was making pancakes. "Rosie's making pancakes!" Emmett smiled gleefully from the attached dining room, adorning a napkin around his neck already. They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, and it was definitely no different for Emmett.

"Thanks Rose." I smiled, joining Emmett at the table. "No problem Bella, sleep well?" Rose asked, raising an eyebrow at me. Great, she was still hinting at last night. "Very well yes." I answered, looking down at my plate. I almost felt Edward's stare burning through the back of my head. Emmett soon distracted me by his sudden interest in the newspaper. "Belly! There's going to be another concert next weekend! You wanna go?" He asked excitedly, shoving the newspaper in my face. "Yeah sure Emmett" I said, taking the paper from him. If there was one thing I could actually do with Emmett, it was listen to music. Thankfully, he was the only person in our friend group who listened to decent stuff, and we often fought our friends tooth and nail to have control of the radio, because we couldn't stand what everyone else liked-which was country. I shivered at the thought.

"A concert?" Edward piped up from behind me, drinking another cup of coffee. "Ooh, Eddie do you want to come too? Belly, trust me, Eddie has good taste in music. Unlike these suckers…" Emmett nodded at Alice and Jasper who were coming into the kitchen. Great, more quality time with Edward.

"I'd love to come." Edward said, smoothly sitting in the chair next to me. I realized that Edward and I would have to talk about what happened sooner or later. Obviously, I had given him the no-go on any romantic relationship between us, and he was acting oddly "okay" with it. If I was suddenly going to be subjected to Edward's presence in our group of friends, I would have to clear the table with him. But when could I talk to him? Would it be weird to have a slumber-party type conversation where we're laying in our beds talking about our hopes and dreams and everything in between? Or would I have to bring it up in front of everyone?

Rose interrupted my thought process with a giant pancake thrown on my plate. I didn't realize how hungry I really was until I put the first bite in my mouth. Rose's cooking was the best thing next to sliced bread. About half way through my monster pancake, I caught Edward looking at me. "You and Emmett could be twins." Edward chuckled, gesturing to Emmett who was shoveling his fourth pancake into his mouth. "A girls gotta eat." I smiled, taking another bite.

"Rosie I want another one please!" Emmett laughed, holding his plate up at Rose. "Come get it yourself." She stated, grabbing a plate for herself and sitting next to Alice. Emmett pouted, but got up to get himself another pancake, humming a song to himself.

We all ate in silence, and for the first time on our trip, I could actually handle having Edward there with our friend group. I didn't feel any awkwardness, and if I did, it was masked by my insane hunger for a second pancake. Sometimes I thought I should be the size of Emmett considering how much I eat when I'm hungry.

"So, what are we going to do today Emmett?" Alice asked, watching Jasper eat. "I was thinking of going man fishing." Emmett said, sitting down next to Rose again. "Man fishing?" Rose and I asked at the same time. "Emmy, whatever this man fishing is…" Rose started but was quickly interrupted by Emmett's casual explanation of man fishing. I'm pretty sure it was just regular fishing but with the word "man" in front of it. "First, we're going to get in the boat, and then we're going to turn on the motor, and then we're gonna get our fishing poles and put the little wormies on the hooks, and then we're gonna catch fish! Oh and then we're going to throw Bella in the lake!" Emmett added. "Why thanks Emmett, you know how much I love being thrown off of boats." I rolled my eyes. Emmett could be such a jerk sometimes. "No problemo Belly McJelly Belly." Emmett giggled, yes giggled.

I caught a glimpse of Edward who was staring at Emmett with a look of "you have got to be kidding me." "Eddie you ready to go fishing?" Emmett asked, completely oblivious to the glare he was getting. "You know I hate fishing." He responded, crossing his arms over his very defined chest. "Yeah, but what did you expect coming on this trip? I told you, you couldn't just ogle Belly the whole time! MAN FISHING!" Emmett roared, jumping up from the table, taking no time to see my jaw drop almost in sync with Edward's.

Alice wasted no time dragging me away from the table. "Just wait until you see what I got you." She said, dragging me into Edward's and I room, and then shaking her finger at Edward. "You can't come in!" She said, quickly closing the door. "Gimme your bag." She said, holding her hand out. "No way Alice, I don't want to see what insane swimsuit you packed me. Besides, we're fishing, not swimming." I said, trying to find any possible way of getting out of wearing a skimpy swimsuit. "Fine, don't cooperate. You're only making it harder on yourself." She sighed, suddenly running around the room and almost too quickly, finding my bag underneath my bed.

Alice dug through the bag, tossing out the expensive lingerie behind her, before finding exactly what I had been expecting. "You likey?" Alice grinned, holding the two scraps of fabric out at me. "I'm not wearing that." I stated, crossing my arms. "Yes you are. I'll get Rose in here and we'll make you put it on. Or worse, I'll get Emmett." Alice winked. "Ew!" I scoffed, grabbing the swimsuit from her. I hated how Alice could persuade me to do such crazy things. No doubt, Emmett would have helped her, not to see me naked, but because he got some weird joy out of making me suffer from Alice's torture methods.

Half an hour later, I managed to work out the courage to walk out of the room. I covered myself with a towel, praying that Alice wouldn't make me take it off right away.

When I walked into the living room where Rose, Jasper, and Emmett in his ridiculous fishing outfit were waiting. "The diva's are taking forever to get ready." Emmett groaned, holding onto his fishing pole. "Be patient Emmy." Rose rolled her eyes, acting completely bored. Of course Rose could pull off wearing her red bikini even on her worst day. I felt like a five year olds drawing next to her Monet.

After about fifteen more minutes, Edward walked out, looking as gorgeous as ever. He was shirtless, wearing a swimsuit that hung just below his hips. He had a towel slung over his shoulder and aviator sunglasses on. Edward casually ran a hand through his beautiful bronzy hair and began to chuckle at Emmett's ridiculous outfit. "Seriously Emmett? Dad made us wear that stuff when we were five." He laughed. "Shut up Eddie. You gotta get in the zone when you go man fishing, and you gotta look the part." Emmett shrugged, tugging on his fishing pole again. Edward walked over to the couch and sat next to me, running his fingers through his hair again. I almost hated him for being so sexy.

"Where is that damn pixie?" Emmett whined, standing up. "I'll go get her." Jasper offered, standing up. "Fine. But hurry up, or she's going in the water first." Emmett pouted. Jasper rolled his eyes and walked down the hallway to get Alice.

Almost ten minutes later, Jasper had Alice over his shoulder, dragging her out of the room. "Alice…we…have…to go." He groaned, pulling her out of the room. "BUT I DIDN'T PUT ON MY LIPGLOSS YET!" Alice shrieked, holding onto the doorway. "You can do it on the boat!" Jasper said, pulling her down the hallway. "JAZZY!" She protested, holding her beach bag behind her. Of course Alice had to take an hour to get ready before going on a boat with only five other people.

"MAN FISHING!" Emmett squealed, running to the door.

1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1

By the time we had gotten onto the oversized fishing boat Emmett had rented, I was exhausted. Alice had managed to lecture me over fifteen times on the way to the dock about how I was covering myself with a towel. Not wanting to hear anymore, I plugging in my ipod, turned on some My Morning Jacket, and shut everyone else out while I lay in the sun on one of the benches.

After only five minutes of peace, I suddenly felt myself spiral towards the ground. "What the hell?" I yelled, standing up, reaching for my towel frantically. "No way Bella." I looked down at Alice who was holding my towel behind her back. "You'll never get any sun that way." She smirked, pushing me away. "Alice give it back to me right now!" I shrieked, reaching for my towel again. "Nope. Now go put on sunscreen." She said cheerfully before throwing my towel at Emmett who would never in a million years give me back my towel.

I suddenly realized how exposed I was. Wearing a small dark blue bikini doesn't give you a whole lot of coverage. I looked at Rose who was completely absorbed in a magazine, basking in the sun. Jasper was shaking his head at Alice, trying to show some form of sympathy for me. We both knew there was no point in trying to argue with Alice. And then my attention came to Edward who was downright checking me out, making me blush fifty shades of red. His mouth was parted slightly, and I swear I saw a small drop of drool coming from his mouth.

Faster than you can say "self-conscious," I was heading towards Emmett, hoping the fates would be in my favor and he would give me my towel back. Instead, he sat on it. "Go get sun screened up Belly, we got some man fishing to do!" he laughed, driving the boat out to the middle of the lake.

"I _will_ get you back for this." I mumbled at Alice who handed me a bottle of sunscreen.

I quickly lathered up, pretending not to notice Edward ogling me still. Pervert.

I put my sunglasses back on and returned to my bench where I plugged my ipod in again. Let Edward stare, it's not like there was anything that good to ogle at. My body had never been exceptional. I was no Rosalie. If Edward was really that infatuated with me, I didn't see how a friendship would be possible. As much as I was confused with how things with Edward and I had turned out, I never saw us being friends in the first place.

A. He was far too attractive. B. He was my TA, I still didn't see how that could be appropriate. C. He was my best friend's older brother. And D. Did I mention he was attractive?

Edward and I weren't meant to be friends. I knew that much.

With my thoughts in mind about Edward, I slowly felt myself drift off to sleep, the late night last night catching up to me. I felt my body go limp, and I let the sleep overtake me.

1-1-1-1-1-1-1

Cold water suddenly surrounded me. I reached out, trying to find something to hold onto, but was only met with more water. I couldn't find which way was up, and I felt myself falling deeper into the water. My chest got tight, and I realized I didn't know how to get out of the water. The shock of the water had made my muscles tight and I could barely move. I opened my eyes, to see only more water in front of me, as if it never ended. I tried to hold my breath as long as I could, trying to find any release from the tightening in my chest.

Just as I felt I couldn't hold on any longer, I felt two arms reach around me and pull me away from the water. I broke the surface, coughing and grasping onto the person who had pulled me to the surface.

"Hey, hey it's okay." I heard as I was tugged back onto the boat. "Emmett you're a fucking idiot." I heard someone say as I opened my eyes. Edward was on top of me, checking to see if I was still breathing. I quickly came to realize someone had thrown me into the lake mid-nap. No doubt, it was Emmett.

"Are you okay?" Edward asked, pressing his palm against my cheek, nothing but pure concern in his eyes. "I'm…okay, I think." I muttered, trying to sit up. I managed to get into a sitting position and looked up to see Edward relax a little. "Are you sure?" Edward asked as he wrapped a towel around me.

"Yeah I'm fine." I murmured, blinking a little as my heart rate began to relax a little. "Okay." Edward said, not moving away from me, as if I was going to suddenly pass out.

I looked around Edward's beautiful head to see Rose practically beating the shit out of Emmett who was frantically trying to apologize. "Rose, it's okay." I said, as if to prove I still had a voice. Rose stopped slapping Emmett to look at me. "Fine." She glared at Emmett, moving to go sit by Jasper who was staring at me with concern. I wasn't _that _breakable.

Surprisingly, I didn't feel that angry towards Emmett. I mean, I don't think he meant any harm. I probably shouldn't have been sleeping on the boat anyway, I just set myself up. Although I did see an opportunity for revenge, "Emmett, I'm gonna get you back for this." I smiled, standing up with Edward's help. "Do you want some water or something?" Edward asked, his strong arm holding me up despite the fact I could stand on my own. "I think I've had enough water, thanks." I said, sitting next to Alice who, as soon as she saw that I was talking, knew nothing was wrong and had gone back to sunbathing. Sometimes Alice knew me better than I knew myself.

Edward sat next to me, almost too close for comfort, fidgeting as if he still thought I was going to fall out of the boat again. "Are you _sure_ you're okay?" Edward asked, quietly into my ear. "I'm fine." I replied, feeling exhausted again. The adrenaline had left my system and all I wanted to do was sleep.

However, Alice had another idea. "Let's swim!" she said cheerfully, pulling on my hand. Jasper looked up at Alice with concern, obviously disturbed by what just happened to me. "Don't worry, I won't throw her in!" I stuck my tongue out at Jasper, teasing him. He rolled his eyes, but still carefully watched Alice as she cannonballed into the water off of the boat.

I looked over at Edward, who was giving me the same look Jasper was giving Alice. "I'm okay." I repeated before diving into the water in a fluid motion. Swim lessons paid off apparently, because as soon as I was in the water, Emmett almost drowning me seemed like no big deal, and I was finally having fun.

Quickly, Emmett dived off of the boat into the water and swam out to meet Alice and I. "Belly! Watch this!" He boomed as he threw Alice into the air. I laughed as I heard Jasper shout "Hey! That's my woman!" and a loud splash. Very shortly after, Jasper was next to us leaping on top of Emmett, pretending to act mad.

"ROSIE!" Emmett laughed, beckoning her to join us in the water. "No way!" She protested, sunbathing on top of the boat. "Please Rosie!" Emmett pouted, swimming back to the boat. "Emmett…" Rose tried to warn before he jumped up and pulled her in. Rose surfaced and then began trying to drown Emmett, probably forgetting that he was too big to fight, even in the water.

"Eddie help me!" Emmett laughed as Rose tried to pull his hair. I looked up at Edward who was still staring at me, looking concerned. "Quick, Belly start to drown so he'll dive in again." I laughed and plugged my nose before going underwater. I stayed there for a few seconds before coming back up. Edward was standing up and frowning. He shook his head as I smiled at him, and then took his sunglasses off and made a flawless dive into the water. A few seconds later, he was swimming next to me. "High school swim team." He said in response to my shocked expression. I swear, Edward was perfect.

We spent the afternoon in the lake, laughing and enjoying our family time. For once, I didn't actually hate camping.


	5. Chapter 5

Edward and I scoffed and rolled our eyes as soon as nightfall hit. Apparently a few beers and a day at the lake equaled time for the couples to have well, couple time. "Wanna go for a walk?" Edward asked, giving a sideward glance at Rose and Emmett who were busy eating each others faces. "Yes please." I said quickly, standing up.

Edward and I almost sprinted out of the cabin, glad to breathe in the fresh night air. "That's gotta get annoying." Edward said, running a hand through his hair. "You get use to it after a while." I shrugged, glancing out at the lake, which we were walking by. In truth, I was used to it. I never really thought any different. Rose and Emmett were always meant to be together just like Jasper and Alice were always meant to be together. I knew when to leave them alone and when it was appropriate to be around them. While it did get frustrating to be a fifth wheel sometimes, I couldn't think of it being any other way.

So in way, it was nice to have Edward there. Even if I couldn't be friends with him or be romantically involved with him. It was just nice to have someone else there to talk to while everyone else had their couple time.

Edward and I walked in silence for a while before I let curiosity get the best of me. "Who's Tanya?" I asked, turning to look at him while we strolled along an overgrown sidewalk.

Edward's face fell slightly and looked down at his feet. "Who told you about her?" He asked, running his hand through his hair which I assumed was both a nervous and a "trying to be extremely sexy" habit. "I heard you on the phone earlier." I murmured, slightly regretting asking him. The last time I saw his face fall like that was when I told him we couldn't be together.

To my surprise, Edward put his hands in his pockets and began telling me all about his adventures with Tanya.

"Tanya was my long-term girlfriend for ten years. I was with her through high school and in college. When we both graduated from Seattle, last year, I decided it was time to move on. Things with Tanya weren't going well and I didn't see any future with her. She wanted to party all the time, and I was busy pursuing a medical degree. I didn't see how partying every night would benefit me in med school, so I dumped her. She hasn't really let it go ever since. She calls me a lot, almost every day, and I think she's developing a stalking problem.

I don't see any reason to get back with her. She cheated on me a lot, and I always forgave her, trying to find the good in her. Tanya knew things weren't going well, so she would promise me things would change, and I fell for it, almost every time. It's what I get for having faith in people." Edward shrugged, turning away from me.

What the hell do I even say to that? The worst relationship I had lasted for a week in kindergarten and we broke up because he spilled my finger paint!

"I'm sorry." I murmured, feeling awkward again. "Don't be Bella." Edward said, turning to look at me again. "You have nothing to do with it, it was my mistake." He said, bearing his eyes into mine. "It's over now. If she thinks I'm going to get back together with her, she's more of an idiot than I thought." Edward said, suddenly stopping.

"What?" I asked, turning around to face him. "Would it be really that bad to be with me Bella?" Edward asked, his face falling even farther, as if he knew what I wanted to say. Which was yes.

"No." I said, being honest with myself. "Then why?" Edward asked, stepping towards me and placing his hands on my arms. "I just…" I began to stutter, finding myself at a loss for words.

With no hesitation, I felt Edward's lips crash against mine. He tasted sweet, like caramel candy, and I couldn't have imagined anywhere else I wanted to be. Things felt so right with Edward, despite our circumstances. All too soon, Edward pulled away and stared at me.

"That wasn't so bad was it?" Edward asked, looking hopeful. "No." I whispered, holding onto his neck.

I could do this right? I could be with Edward? Screw him being my TA. It's happened before hasn't it? And if he wants to be with someone as unattractive as me, then fine. And as for being Emmett's brother, well, he wouldn't mind would he? He wouldn't have invited Edward on this trip if he didn't want Edward to be with me right? But then there was this Tanya character, what if Edward was just rebounding? It had been an entire year though.

Edward interrupted my thinking by letting go. "Sorry." He said, running his hands through his hair. Crap, I waited too long.

"No Edward, it was good…very good." I said, reaching out to touch his arm. Edward looked at me again, frowning. He didn't believe me. "But you're hesitant Bella. I don't want to be with someone who doesn't want to be with me. I don't want you to have any doubt in your mind that you want to be with me." Edward said, stroking my hair. "We'll wait." He said after a few moments of silence.

"What?" I asked, looking up at him. "We'll wait. Give it a few months. I'll give you a few months, and we'll see where it goes." "Like a grace period?" "Sure. We'll just…hang out."

"Hang out?" I asked, smiling a little. Hanging out with Edward wasn't exactly what I had in mind. I guess I could wait and see where my feelings for Edward would go. Once I got through the Tanya thing, the Mr. Sexyness thing, the I'm your friend's brother thing, I'm sure it could work out. And maybe once Edward wasn't in my class all the time after the semester was over, I could go with it. I could do that. I could wait a little bit if Edward was willing to.

"Okay." I said, nodding my head. "You sure? You'll wait?" Edward asked, searching my eyes for any sign of hesitation. "Yes, I could use a little more time anyway." I said, patting his shoulders as if to reassure him. I let my hands linger a little longer that I should have, feeling how broad he was. I bit my lip as if to hold back word vomit about how insanely beautiful he was. "Don't bite your lip." Edward said quietly, something smoldering in his eyes.

"Why?" "Just don't." "Okay."

1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1

"Edward, why are you wearing my sweatshirt?" I asked, pretending to be angry at him for wearing my purple sweatshirt with a big W on it, the only bit of school pride I owned.

Edward smiled at me from the couch, "It smells like you." "That's weird." I replied, completely dazzled by his smile. Edward chuckled and grabbed my arm, pulling me to sit next to him.

Hanging out had become a ritual for us. We spent most of our time at his apartment, that I had gotten way too used to being in. Sometimes he helped me with chemistry, and when that failed, we shared musical knowledge or watched movies. Occasionally after a long day, we would both be so exhausted that we just took naps until one of us woke up.

Edward pulled the hood of my sweatshirt over his head. "You're lucky I bought that thing too big, otherwise you'd look ridiculous." I smirked, tugging the hood farther down so it covered his eyes. "Can I keep it?" He asked, taking the hood down so he could dazzle me again.

"Are you going to buy me a new one?" I asked sarcastically, knowing full well what his response would be. "You mean you're _actually_ going to let me buy something without throwing a fit?" "Not a chance." I smirked. "Then no." Edward said, crossing his arms over my sweatshirt.

"But it's even colder in Forks that it is in Seattle!" I pouted. Edward imitated my pouty face. "Exactly. You don't want me to freeze do you Bella?" I sighed in response. "Okay Edward, I guess you can keep it. Just as long as…" I started and then sprinted into his room. I heard him leap off the couch after me. He knew exactly what I was getting at.

I dug through his closet frantically until my hands grasped what I was looking for. "I get the napping blanket!" I cheered, grasping it against my chest as Edward tried to wrestle it for me.

During our naps, I discovered that Edward owned one of the softest blankets I had ever touched. It turned into a sort of competition where we would declare who could have it first. Usually, it ended in us sharing it…friends shared blankets, right?

"Fine. We'll trade off." Edward pouted, defeated. He looked adorable pouting at me in my sweatshirt. "I suppose that's fair." I shrugged, stroking the blanket. Edward sat on his bed.

"So you're going to come hang out at my parents house right?" Edward asked for the fifteenth time today. The semester had come to an end and everyone was heading back home to Forks for the holidays. Even Jasper was taking time away from visiting India to come home.

"Of course! I don't think your mom would let me get away from Forks again without saying goodbye." I said, sitting next to him.

That seemed to reassure him as he played with one of the strings on my sweatshirt. "You know it's the end of the semester right?" He murmured, not looking at me.

"So?" I asked. Edward turned to me in disbelief. "So I'm not your TA anymore…" Edward said as if I was missing the bigger picture. "You know, the grace period?"

"Oh…" I responded, looking down at the nap blanket again. I had gotten over the Tanya thing. I guess she had gotten the hint finally after our little camping trip at the beginning of the semester. Edward and I had become such good friends, but there was always tension between us, as if we were trying to hold back. I still wasn't sure how I felt about being with him. We were obviously comfortable with each other. We shared a lot of the same beliefs and values. Yet something was still holding me back.

"What's holding you back?" Edward asked as if he read my thoughts. "I don't know." I replied, grasping the blanket closer. "Is it Emmett?" he asked. "No." I shook my head. If anyone wanted us to be together, it was Emmett. He made at least 8 sexual jokes towards us whenever we hung out.

"Then what is it Bella?" Edward asked, trying to get me to look at him. "I told you I don't know!" I exclaimed, frustrated. "I haven't had a lot of time to think about it…" I mumbled.

"Haven't had a lot of time to think about it? You've had an entire semester!" Edward echoed my frustration. "Edward I don't want to argue." I said, trying to bring harmony back to the situation. "Bella I don't know what to do to convince you." "I don't need convincing to want to be with you." I replied.

Edward growled. "Then why not?"

"I don't know." Before Edward and I could argue further, Emmett burst into the apartment. "EDDIE! You ready to go?" he called, barrelling into the bedroom.

"Oops, didn't mean to interrupt you kids." Emmett winked, oblivious to the tension in the room. "Seriously Emmett…" Edward growled, his anger growing. "Give us a minute Em?" I asked quietly.

Thankfully Emmett took the hint and mumbled a quick "sorry" before shutting the door. "I have feelings for you Edward. I just don't know what I want to do about them yet. I don't want the holidays to be tense or awkward. Can we figure this out after we get back?" I asked calmly, gathering enough courage to turn and face him.

Edwards face softened. "Okay. I'm sorry for getting angry." He said, reaching for my hand. "Maybe I'll convince you after I dazzle your parents." He smirked, giving my hand a squeeze.

I let out a laugh. "Right. Charlie. Dazzled. Be warned of the shotgun." I winked and got off of the bed, dragging him with me to the living room. Emmett was lounging on the couch. "Ready?" He asked, peering up at us as if we were going to start fighting in front of him.

"Ready as ever." I smiled, grabbing my bag I had brought with me to Edwards place. Edward had begged me five times over to ride with him in his car. I told him it was a maybe considering Alice and Emmett would probably fight in the car if I wasn't there to break it up. Rosalie had left a few days early to be with her family, knowing Emmett would probably want to hog her time once he arrived. Finals had been a rough spot for them. Emmett didn't really understand that when Rosalie needed to study, Emmett couldn't be around. He was too much of a distraction. When Rosalie had walked out of her last final, Emmett had picked her up immediately to spend some "special" time with her.

"Bella don't make me ride with Alice?" Emmett pouted, reaching for me. Edward quickly pulled me out of his reach. "No way." He said, trying to be big-brotherly. "But Eddie…" Emmett pouted. "Calling me that is not helping your case."

"Fine." Emmett stammered, getting up and heading to the door. "Have fun in your pretty little car. Real men don't drive volvos…" He muttered as he walked down the hallway.

Edward beamed at his success. "I honestly thought he was going to pick you up and run away." "I suppose that wouldn't be beyond Emmett." Edward and I both laughed as he locked the door and headed to the parking lot.

"I have dibs on music-duty first!" I giggled as I threw my bag into the back of Edward's precious car. I think if he had to save me or the car, he'd choose the car.

Edward didn't respond, only smirked at me and revved the engine.

1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1

EPOV

"No." I growled, snatching Bellas phone from her. "But Alice is going to…" "No."

Bella unleashed her pouty face at me, melting my heart just a little. It was so hard to say no, but I hated letting her go more than I hated seeing her sad. "You're being too nice. Alice isn't actually going to…" Bella interrupted me.

"You don't know what Alice is capable of! One time she threw away all of my sweat pants because I wore them too many days in a row." Bella exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air.

We were pulled over on the highway with Emmetts jeep in front of us. Alice was soon stomping towards the car, a dangerous look on her face. "Shit." Bella whispered under her breath.

Alice began banging on the windows of my car furiously. In fear she might actually break my car, I unrolled the window. "If you don't switch cars with me this instant I will take that blanket and throw it in the woods!" Alice fumed, reaching for the blanket that was on Bellas lap. Bella and I gasped in horror.

"Fine!" Bella agreed quickly, opening the door and leaping out before I could protest. "So…sick…of that stupid…Emmett." Alice grumbled as she hopped into Bellas seat. "Is this really necessary?" I groaned as I turned the car back on.

"Emmett can be so frustrating sometimes!" Alice exclaimed.

Alice and I drove down the highway silently for a few miles behind the jeep. I could see the back of Bellas head through the windshield and I wanted nothing more than to have her back in the car with me.

"You really love her don't you?" Alice spoke up suddenly. Taken aback I shifted in my seat uncomfortably. "Don't you?" Alice repeated more forcibly.

"I guess." I shrugged, uncomfortable with the sudden questions. "She really loves you too. I mean she hasn't said it yet, but I know she does. Just give her a little more time. Bella takes forever to make decisions." Alice continued.

"What do you mean?" I asked, a little intrigued. Alices open attitude might allow me to get some answers about Bellas odd behavior when it came to us being together.

"If she didn't have me, she'd never make her mind up! She's almost more frustrating than Jasper when it comes to deciding on stuff. One time, Bella had like three guys pining after her in high school and she was totally oblivious. Thankfully she had me to make that decision for her." Alice rambled, staring out the window.

"Bella told me shes never had a boyfriend!" I said quickly, trying to keep my eyes fixed on the road. "That's because I didn't think any of them were good enough for her." Alice replied, as if it was the most obvious explanation ever. I relaxed a little.

"So am I good enough for her?" I asked after a few moments of silence. "I haven't decided yet." Alice said, turning towards me.

"I would give you the best-friend speech about 'if you ever hurt her I'll kill you' but I think you already know that. And who knows how Emmett would react if you hurt her. Anyway, I think there's more to you than the 'pretty boy' Bella always talks about. You're on a trial run right now." Alice said, turning back to the road.

"A trial run, huh?" I smirked. "Yep."

"So Alice, did I ever tell you I _love_ to shop?"


End file.
